The Little Door

The Little Door
8164 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048

http://www.thelittledoor.com/tldhome.html
323.951.1210

Theme/Culture = French

CATEGORY	RATING (OUT OF 30)	COMMENTS/REVIEW	OTHER/NOTES
FOOD	29	The food was incredible. Very tasteful and elegantly presented, which made it even tastier than it already was. We tried an appetizer dish, a fish, and a veal. Everything was cooked to perfection and their flatbread was so tasty. The food was French in majority, but they had wonderful options from all over Europe, and even the Middle East. In addition, they brought us a special tea and baklava as complimentary dessert, which was not only extremely sweet, but also a very delectable end to the evening.
DÉCOR	29	The restaurant was beautiful. The roof was not completely covered and the evening stars shone through. The lighting was romantic and dim. And there were lovely chandeliers hanging which really added to the ambience. The entire atmosphere was just lovely and felt very romantic and European. Decedent but not overly decedent, still simple.
SERVICE	29	The service was excellent. Our waiter was constantly checking in on us but not in an overly obnoxious way. Everyone there was friendly and kind, and they were classy and dealt with us with care.
COST	25	Though the prices were expensive, this was a very high-end place and we feel like the price was worth the experience. But, that being said, it could have been cheaper - though it wouldn't be worth it to sacrifice the quality of the restaurant.

 

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Sepora enjoying The Little Door!

Kushiyu Restaurant

Kushiyu Restaurant
18713 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, CA 91356

http://www.kushiyurestaurant.com/
818.609.9050

Theme/Culture = Japanese.

Kushiyu is Josh's favorite Japanese restaurant in the Los Angeles area. He has been there dozens of times and he and Sepora have been there together a few times.

CATEGORY	RATING (OUT OF 30)	COMMENTS/REVIEW	OTHER/NOTES
FOOD	27	The sushi at Kushiyu is incredible. Everything tastes fresh and the creative sushi pairings, such as the Chilean Sea Bass rolls are extremely satisfying. Kushiyu is a very traditionally Japanese restaurant, and you're given wet towels before eating your meal as you would in a true Japanese setting. The food also highlights this desire to seem truly Japanese, as it in no way seems processed.
DÉCOR	18	The decor of Kushiyu is fine, but very standard, and also very boring. The tables are regular and wooden, there are a few paintings on the walls, but those are also not overly extravagant, and though they're colorful, they don't do that much for the setting of the restaurant.
SERVICE	25	The service is wonderful, the servers are constantly walking around, the food arrives fast, and your water glass will almost always be full. The staff is friendly, and though service isn't something to be constantly raving about, there's nothing to complain about.
COST	24	Sushi is generally expensive, but compared to other high-end sushi restaurants, Kushiyu is not as expensive, and is worth the price. While it is not a place that one would attend if trying to save money, it is worth the price, though you could also easily walk out spending a pretty penny.

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Inside Kushiyu!

Salmon Tower

Chilean Sea Bass (Kushiyaki)

(From Left to Right) Tuna Hand Roll with Cucumber,
Tuna Cut Roll with Cucumber, Salmon Sushi,
Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice (Our Favorite!) 

Traditional Japanese Dessert (at least in restaurants) 

Charlie's Pantry

Charlie's Pantry
2992 Beverly Glen Circle
Bel Air, CA 90077

http://charliespantry.com/
310.474.3939

Theme/Culture =

CATEGORY	RATING (OUT OF 30)	COMMENTS/REVIEW	OTHER/NOTES
FOOD	25	Charlie's pantry combines fresh ingredients with interesting combinations to create delectable salads, sandwiches, entrees and European style pastries. The drinks at Charlie's pantry are especially unique, bringing together flavors you would never imagine, like pineapple and spinach in the "Jamaican Popeye." The display is filled with chicken salads, tuna salads, and other freshly made meat and vegetable combinations that bring a fresh southern-californian flair to an otherwise European styled restaurant. Overall, the food was perfect for a refreshing lunch, and the Banana Mocha cake is definitely a new favorite.
DÉCOR	23	The decoration within Charlie's pantry was not over-extravagant, but had a simplistic and dreamy style to it on the inside, which was combined with a very classic looking patio area. The color scheme within the restaurant was a nice mix of white and wood, very classy but not spectacular by any means.
SERVICE	20	Service was sub-par in some instances. When you enter the restaurant, you go up to the cashier and order, and then are given a number and patiently wait for your food to arrive. Some things came out quickly, and other things took much longer. Additionally, if the person in front of you in line took too long at the cashier, as there was only one cashier, your wait time could be extremely extensive.
COST	25	The cost was fairly normal by Los Angeles standards, but the caesar salad with salmon came out to eighteen dollars, and the overall meal came out to around 40, before dessert, 48 including dessert, which was a little steep for a casual lunch.

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Prepared foods and pastries

Inside Charlie's Pantry

Sepora Enjoying her Jamaican Popeye drink!

Caesar salad, Romaine lettuce, Parmesan shavings, homemade croutons & white anchovies 12

Add Organic grilled chicken 4. Poached or grilled Atlantic salmon add 6. 

Kashmir Salad, One avocado half filled with tuna, one with curried egg, heirloom 14

tomato & cucumber salad, romaine lettuce, arugula greens, mango chutney in a lemon 

chili dressing 

Receipt

THE END!

So, right now it's May 13, the day before we actually are presenting this to you. While we weren't exactly able to get to each and every restaurant on our list, we did make it to seven different places and, through a number of different experiences, had the chance to get an insiders look into many different cultures. The one caveat, to note however, is that because many of the restaurants we visited are either chains or have become "Americanized" over the years to appeal to the 21st century American population, there may be some things in these restaurants that don't give a 100% accurate representation of the culture represented. With that, we hope you enjoyed reading our blog!

Below is a list of the restaurants we attended and below that is a list of all of the places we wanted to go to:

Restaurants Attended:
Shamshiri Grill (Persian/Iranian)
Chipotle Mexican Grill (Mexican)
Rustico (Italian)
The Little Door (French)
Kushiyu (Japanese)
Charlie's Pantry (European Styled)

Initial List:
The Little Door (French)
Kushiyu (Japanese)
Rustico (Italian)
Charlie's Pantry (European Styled)
Soy Y Luna (Mexican)
Johnny Rockets (American)
P.F. Chang's China Bistro (Chinese)
Shamshiri (Persian/Iranian)
Pho So1 (Vietnamese)
The Hummus Bar (Israeli)
Koutoubia (Moroccan)